Improvement in harvesteb-rakes



1)..MENDE'NHALL, or ritrattato, Iowa',-

Letters Patent lVo. 76,339, dated April 7,.1868.

IMPROVEMENT .IN HARVESTER-RAKES.

@te tlgrhtle retentit tu mttrse Entert ttmi nur matting gaat nf tigttime.

TO ALLl WHOM MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, D. MENDENHALL, of Fairfield, in the countyvofJeii'erson, and State of Iowa, hare invented a new and improvedBaking-Attachment for Reaping-ll/Iachines; and I do hereby declare that'the following is a full, clear, and' exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification, in which Figurey 1 is a top view, showing my improvedraking-device attached to a draught-frame, with the rake'or clearer inposition for commencing a'raking-stroke across the platforlnf l Figure 2is a top view ofthe raking-device, showing the rake in aposition fordischarging a gevel from'the inner end of the platform. l i

Figure 3 is an elevation of the platform and iakingde'vice.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the threefigures.

The object of this invention is to clear the platform of areaping-machine of cutgrain, and deliver the .grain upon the ground ingavelsor bundles from or at the inner end of the platform, by means of areciprocating rake or clearer, operating in conjunction with a hingedsection of said platform, in such manner that this hinged section canbe-made Yto--serve as a fender or guard, for preventing the grain fromfalling'up'on'or'becoming entangledwith the rake or clearer in thereturn-stroke of the latter, as will be hereinafter described. i

To enable others skilledin the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation. In the accompanying drawings,A. represents the main draught-frame of a reaping-machine, which frameis mounted upon two wheels, B B, either one or both-of which may bedrivers, and so applied on their axle C as to turn freely around itwhen'the machine is backed. l

To one side of the draught-frame A, either in front or in rear of thetransporting-Wheel,-I attach the finger-l beam D, by means of a. hinge,loose-joint or otherwise, so that this beam may accommodate itself tothe surface of the ground. passed over, and to this beam I securelongitudinal bars a a a., sol as to extend back, and form' supports forslats which compose the platform or grain-receiver,l as shown in thedrawings; At the outer end of this platform is the divider E, having aguard-raubt, applied on its inner side, which is designed to prevent thecut grain from falling upon and becoming entangled with the teeth of therake or clearer F, when the latter is in the position shown in g. l. Theguardrail b also prevents the grain fromv falling outside ofthe rake.

The front part` of the platform is composed of two slats, arrangedparallel to the nger-beau1 D, at a suitable distance apart, and securedto short arms c c. Thesevarms are suitably hinged to the iin-ger-beam,and the inner arm c', or that nearest the main frame A, is bent upwardandinward,l so as to form a handle or treadle, c2, by which theattendant, whilst sitting upon `the'seat Gon frame A, can vibrate thefront part of the platform, which I shall letter J, and bring it to thepositionvshown in iig. 3, to allow the rake to return 'to the outer endof the platformV unobstructed by falling grain, In rear of the hinged.section J, two or more slats, d al', are secured permanently to thelongitudinalbars a wa, which complete the platform or grain-receiver.

The rake 4or clearer F is one of several rods which are pivot-edtogether in such manner as to form what are known as extension-joints,the two outermost rods or arms of which are pivoted, by a verticalpin,-e, to the outer end of the rear 'slat CZ ofthe platform, and-on tcpthereof. The two intermediate rods or armsof the extension-` joints Lare pivoted together by a pin,j`, which passes down through a long slot,g, through the slat cl', and which serves to guide the joints, and tokeep the rake F in proper'position in its passage baclc and forth fromone end to the other of the platform. The rake-teeth projectperpendicularly from their arm, which latter is slightly'bent, so as tobe nearly at right angles to the finger-beamin its passage across theplatform.

Atthelinner end of the slut-d is a vertical post, z, having an eyethrough it, through which passes a rod or pitman, N, one end of which ispivoted to one of lthe extension-arms near thepimf, and the other end isconnected toy a device which is or may be upon the main frame, and whichwill give an intermittent endwise movement to said rod, which will causean extension and contraction of the jointed arms L. Y The invention isnot confined to'any particular contrivance for moving the rod N, asvarious means, actuated by the driving-wheels B, may bc employed forthis purpose,

buring the acting-stroke of the rake, the hinged section J of theplatform lies fiat upon the bars a t1 a, so

that' the rake can sweep freely over it, clearing the platform of groin,and delivering the load ino bundle from the inner end of theA platformupon the ground. Justibefore the rohe commences to return to the outeren@l of the platform, the attendant, with his foot or hund, presses thenrm ci forward, enti raises the hinged section J' to the inclinedposition indicated in g. 3, in which position it allows the rake to passbeneath itto the outer end of the platform.4 When the hinged section Jis reisen, as described, it serves as e fender for preventing the cutgrain from falling behind or outside of the rake. When the rake hnsreached the'e'nd of its outer stroke, vthe hinged portion J of theplatform is depressed, to allow the reke to poss over it in the nextstroke.

While I'prefer to employ the extension-joints for operating undcontrolling the movements oi' the rake, I shall not confine myself tothis particular contrivmee, as n. rake may be moved beck and forth overthe plotform by other well-known means.

.Having described my invention, what I claim as new, ond, desire tosecure by Lettere Potent, is-

1. AA reciprocating rake, and e hinged platform-section, combined insuchmanner that after the rake moves across said platform, and delivers a.gevel from the inner side thereof', it shall tlienreturn beneath saidsection to the outer end of the platformsubstnntially as described.

2. A platform, having location behind the cutting-apparatus duringthereeeiving and delivery operation, and a fender or guard; J, betweenthe cutting-apparatus and the rear of the platform, in combination withn reciprocating rake, ,which takes the grain which has been cut from theplatform, :rnd delivers it at one side of the platform out of the pathof the tea-m, such rake being` guided by machinery, the wholesubstantially os herein set forthl 3. A rake or clearer, which iscontrolled 4in its movements by extension-joints L, and :t pitnmmroil,N, and which is pivoted on top of the platform, in combination with a.hinged grain-guard, J, which will protect the clearer from falling grainduringv its return-stroke, substantially ,es described.

'4. The combinatiouofe reciprocating reke, a. side-delivery platform, ehinged guard, J, and an outer guard, substantially :is4 described. I

D. MENDENHALL.

p Witnesses:

THos. MORGAN, D. B. MILLER.

